Dark Paradise
by CSCreations
Summary: The Storybook transfered Emma to Enchanted Forest. The only question is when?
1. The Slam Of The Enchanted Forest

Another lazy morning in the town of Storybrook. It was yesterday that all the heroes celebrated their victory over the Black Fairy at Granny's and no one could be happier. Newly married Emma and Killian headed back to their home and spent their wedding night without any interruption this time. It was Emma's best night ever. After all these separations and curses they were ready to expose their love to each other. The morning had come. Emma woke up tangled with the blue sheets of their bed and for her surprise Killian wasn't next to her. As she was starting to worry about an upcoming crisis she suddenly looked at her nightstand and saw a disk full of tasty food and of course her usual grilled cheese served on a plate. She smiled when Killian came into the room. He was only wearing his unbuttoned shirt this time.

"Good morning, love. Did you have a good sleep?" Killian said and they kissed.

"The best. What's all this?" Emma asked

"Your breakfast, love" He said

"And I brought you something to read while I will be doing some work in the station with your father" He said as his hand touched her cheek while passing her the Storybook in her arms.

"Thank you. You shouldn't have done all this I…" She said but he interrupted her.

"Hey, is it too bad that I want to please my lovely wife after our wedding night? We both know you've had enough those past two days, it's the least I can do" He said and Emma smiled.

"Killian, how can you love me so?" She asked

"Because I do. I've always have and I'll always will" He gave her one last kiss.

"Now, eat your breakfast, love. It will get cold" He said before leaving. Emma wanted to say him something too. But the words never came out from her mouth. God, after all this time she was still a coward at this. She could fight millions of monsters but couldn't express her feelings completely to the one she loves. Her walls were down but still there was something behind of them. She bent down to the disk and took a bite from the grilled cheese as she opened slowly Storybook. As she was leafing through the pages she suddenly noticed one page that she hadn't seen before. It was illustrated. It pictured Killian at his quarters. He was sat down on his desk writing something…

"Wait, how…" Emma said and touched the page. Suddenly, magic came from the book taking her with it. Inside the page and its story….

* * *

Emma woke up on the ground. The earth which she was upon was wet and had the smell of the trees on it. That place was definitely Enchanted Forest. When her eyes started to open, she felt a tightness on her stomach. She looked down and saw that she was wearing the wench dress and rags she had worn in their time travel adventure. Her gloves and her cape were now in place. Emma stood up, her hand resting on her stomach trying to breathe through the corset and she saw that she was in the middle of the forest. The book had brought her there. But why? The book did not use unreasonable magic before. It did what it did for some reason. Appearing where somebody needed him the most. Being didactic when it was needed. Maybe this time had its reasons too to send her here. Her skin was tight and freezing from the cold, her lips were red and her green eyes had a little fear in them. She put her cape on and raised her head. She was going to figure everything out. Her boots started to move rhythmically going where her instinct told her. She was walking for hours but finally she took a path where it led her to the village. Everything was dark from the clouds. She could barely distinguish the people moving around doing their normal jobs. She decided to take the matter in her hands.

"Excuse me, do you know where I am exactly?" She asked one passer-by who was carrying groceries with his carriage. But he just ignored her. She tried to speak to other people but they all seemed to be focused on their work. Others carrying food, others feeding their horses, until she saw something. An old woman being tortured by two men because she owed some money. Emma couldn't stand watching this. So she stepped forward.

"Hey, leave her alone!" She said. The two men looked at her angrily.

"Step aside, girl!" They said and pushed her to the ground.

"It's over, Barbara! I'll be waiting for my money at the end of the week" They said and left. The woman helped Emma stood up.

"Oh my god, girl! Are you hurt?" She said.

"No, It's okay. I am fine. Are you?" She asked.

"I've used to it. These men are torturing me for months. I will find a way to deal with them in the end. Thank you for saving me" She said.

"It's kind of what I do" Emma smiled.

"Excuse me, can I ask you a question?" She said and the old woman nodded. She had dark hair mixed up with white and she was wearing a dark blue dress with a matching cloak.

"Where am I?" Emma said

"In the Enchanted Forest of course, in the heart of the village" She responded.

"Thanks. You are the only one to respond me. Everyone seems to be so busy" She said

"That's because they are in a hurry. These people are slaves" She said

"Slaves to who?" Emma asked

"Queens, Dukes, Barons. They work really hard to keep the titles someone else brings up to. Welcome to the slam of the Enchanted Forest. Are you a passenger?" She said

"Kind of…" Emma said but before she could finish her sentence…

"Do you have a shelter?" She said

"No, actually no" Emma said

"You should find one. A storm is coming. Come with me. You saved me and the only thing I can do to repay you is to offer you a roof for now"

"My name is Barbara" The woman said.

"Emma" She smiled.

"Emma. What a wonderful name please come this way…" The woman said leading Emma to her home. It was just a small hut at the end of the village ,away from all the other houses.

"There we are. It's nothing big but it has the best fireplace of the village" She said and led Emma inside.

"Come on, I will light some fire" The woman said. After an hour, everything was settled. The fire was lighted. Emma was standing in front of it trying to warm herself. The woman sat next to her.

"Thank you, for your hospitality. I would be dead under that storm" Emma said and Barbara nodded.

"Tell me, what a young woman like you is doing in this filthy neighborhood?" She said

"I have no idea. But I think that I was sent here for a reason" She said as the woman passed some tea to her.

"Everyone has a reason in their lives. Look at me, working like a dog every day at the tavern and not having a single day off , it's harsh" She said

"But I thought the Enchanted Forest was like a happy place with Princesses and all?" Emma raised her eyebrow.

"Everything has another side as well. We were like this once. When our princess ruled , you could see happy faces everywhere. Our dear Snow white cared for us. But life took what she loved most. Her daughter was taken away by a curse for 28 years. We haven't seen her ever since nor our Princess" She said

"Yeah, I know" Emma said with a sad voice.

"She was a bandit for a long time and she was helping us. Always helping in a bad circumstance like you although she was a fugitive" The woman said.

"What about you?" She said and Emma opened her mouth to talk but suddenly the door opened. It was an old man.

"James, you're back" The old woman got up and Emma did too.

"Ah, this is Emma. She saved me from Lewis and Carl this morning, I promised her shelter in return" The woman said and Emma smiled.

"Thank you, lass. Nice to meet you" The man said and they shook hands. When suddenly the man started looking her weirdly.

"Barbara, do you know who that woman is?" He said. Emma froze like glass.

"She's the woman Captain Hook is looking for" He said and Emma's eyes got wilder.


	2. The Man With The Broken Face

For a moment, her heart skipped a beat.

"What do you mean I am the woman Captain Hook is looking for?" Emma said.

"My wife and I have a small tavern near the harbor he often visits it with his crew. They have fun, drink rum, the Captain has quite grown on me over the years. He's a good man, but now I can see something is troubling him" James said with his heavy accent.

"What?" Emma asked

"The past two weeks he barely came to the tavern, his crew was making excuses for his absence but one day he came and sat with them holding something. A drawing of… you" He said and Emma's eyes got wider.

"Captain has always been a good drawer and he mustn't have had picture you in it if you didn't matter to him" He said

"Ah… He's a man I care deeply about" She said

"He certainly does the same for you I suppose"

"What makes you say that?" She said

"He spent the last two weeks on his ship only speaking to his crew and to some very dangerous opponents of his. Blackbeard. I caught him last night talking to him for a trade. He wanted something from that filthy rat. I caught him saying that he wanted to trade his own ship for a Swan" James said and Emma gulped. Killian had traded his ship for her while she was at New York. That means that the book had transferred her back in time. In the missing year…

"That's ridiculous, James. What kind of Captain would trade his own ship?" Barbara said and

"The kind of Captain who is in love" He spoke and glanced at Emma

"You know…" He said. Emma was starting to breathe heavily.

"You're the Swan, aren't you?" Barbara said and Emma nodded.

"Then you should go to him, you will both feel better that way" Barbara said

"It's not that simple" Emma said

"James, can you leave us alone for a moment?" She said to her husband and then he went inside while Emma and Barbara sat next to the fire.

"What's wrong, Emma? The Captain is sacrificing everything for you and you still hold back?" She said

"You don't love him too?" She said

"No, no it's not that. I love him with my whole life. He means everything to me." Emma said

"Then why are you still here? Instead of telling how you feel?" She said

"Because I am afraid. I was never good with words and if I start telling how I feel; I am afraid that I will get hurt by his reaction. He's not the same." Emma said while a tear fell from her face.

"That's exactly why you have to face him. I am telling from experience. Men sometimes need some spark of hope, and if he's able to trade his own home for you, I think you don't want to miss that opportunity" She said and Emma suddenly felt the need to see him. See his face for one last time.

"You know what, you're right. I will go now" Emma said and stood up leaning to open the door.

"Emma, there is a huge storm out there! You will get yourself killed!" Barbara said.

"I am longing to see him. To touch him. I need to tell him how I feel. Because if I don't I will regret this my whole life. Thank you for everything." Emma said and closed heavily the door. James heard the door closing and run to his wife's side.

"What happened? Where's Emma?" He said

"She left to find him. She didn't even get her cape. She will freeze to death out there" The woman said

"Find him? The Captain? But he's leaving right now" James said but his wife interrupted him.

"What do you mean he's leaving?" She said

"In the morning, Smee passed from the tavern, he said that the Captain would sail away this afternoon and I didn't tell the girl because I thought she wouldn't want to see him…" James said

"We need to stop her!" He said

"No. She will find him" She replied

"How do you know that?" James asked.

"Because I was once in love too and I know the feeling and the longing that accompanies it" She said.

* * *

Emma was running through the forest, when she suddenly saw a horse. A beautiful white horse that was tied up to a tree. Maybe his owner had left temporally but right now she needed it. She untied it and with a streak of lighting she climbed its sole and commanded the horse to leave but before that she took off her ring from her finger and put it in the corset's pocket. The horse shot out and began to run with the rain. It's destination? The harbor. She was riding this horse for an hour or so. The storm was becoming stronger. Her clothing was wet. Her curly hair was going with the rhythm of the horse jouncing every minute on her back. As she was panting for breath she saw a mast waving with the storm on the horizon. She smiled. The Jolly. She ran as fast as she could and then she finally arrived. In front of the ship. She saw his crew carrying barrels. But why? There was only one explanation to this. They were leaving. Emma had to be quick. She got off the horse and tied it up to a tree. And then she walked towards it. There was not going back now. His crew noticed her.

"Miss Emma?" She heard a familiar voice.

"Smee" Emma said

"What are you doing here? I thought that you were taken away by the Wicked Witch's curse…" He said but she interrupted him.

"It's a long story. Where is Hook?" She said.

"In his quarters. He didn't want anyone to interrupt him" Smee said and Emma leaned to go to his quarters when suddenly Smee touched her arm.

"Miss, he's not so good" He said and Emma nodded sadly. Then she walked through the quarters. She was a step away to knock when she saw that the door was already opened from the massive air. She glanced at him through the small opening of the door. She saw him seated on his chair working something on his desk. He drank a small drip of rum and then focused on writing something. But his movements were not so fast. They were slow. He was drawing. Drawing her. Her face, her hair, her eyes. Anything to get him back to her. He looked miserable and tortured. Emma didn't know if she would have the courage to open this door. But no. "Enough running" She thought. Emma pushed slowly the door and let herself in. She then closed the door. Her hand still shaking on the knob.

"Mister Smee, I've told me million times to knock" Killian said with a discipline tone on his voice but still focused on his drawing. Emma gulped. Tears falling on her face.

"I am not Smee" She spoke. He froze for a moment. His ears had heard a feminine voice. Her voice. He turned himself to see her. Emma. His blue like sea eyes got wider. His pencil with which he had made her drawing fell on the floor and he spontaneously stood up.

"Swan" He hummed. A taste of relief in his voice. She froze. She couldn't move. The last thing her brain remembered was that she was back in his arms. He had hugged her tightly lifting her up in the process. For a moment there was a complete silence in the room. Then Killian cleared his throat taking responsibility for his actions.

"What are you doing here? Didn't Zelena catch you? I…" He said but she interrupted him

"Does it matter? We are together now" She said.

"Love, I…"

"Please, don't make it more difficult. I am here to tell you that…" She said

"Tell me what, Swan? Because if you came here with this storm…" She interrupted him again.

"Shut up. I love you" Emma confessed. Killian got confused.

"What? Is this a dream or something?" His words barely coming from his mouth.

"Don't pretend that you didn't hear. I love you. So much. I just wanted to let you know that's all. And that Killian…" She said and put her hands on his cheek.

"You need to forget that this ever happened and that you must never stop fighting for us" She spoke.

"Of course, love. I will never stop" He said as he leaned to kiss her. For a moment, her lips went to touch his but something kept her back.

"Goodbye" She said and turned herself to leave.

"Swan! Swan" He shouted as she was leaving the ship

"Damn it!" He said and followed her but it was too late. She was gone with her horse, riding through the dark forest.

"Smee, bring my horse now!" He commanded his lieutenant. Once he was on his noble black horse he sped to see her. Now both horses running towards the forest. Heavy rain falling like rocks on the ground. He ran as fast as his horse could get and suddenly he saw her. Emma sped up to avoid him but his horse ended up in front of hers.

"Leave me, please" Emma begged.

"No. I've lost you once. I'll never let you go again" He said

"No, please! You mustn't remember!" She said trying to resist. Suddenly, they got off their horses. Their wet bodies leaning towards each other. When he spoke:

"You didn't give me anything to forget"

Her green eyes looked at him and then, he lifted her up from her waist kissing her passionately. Her hands on his face, their tongues dance in a wild dance while thunders sparkled near them revealing the place they were kissing. The beanstalk. The place where they had first met. This kiss seemed to last forever. Kiss by kiss their breaths and bodies not responding to the cold weather. They continued… No sound to be heard but their heavy breaths and the sound of the thunders.

" _Every time I close my eyes_ _  
_ _It's like a dark paradise_ _  
_ _No one compares to you_ _  
_ _I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side_ _  
_ _Every time I close my eyes_ _  
_ _It's like a dark paradise_ _  
_ _No one compares to you_ _  
_ _I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side"_

When he put her down, she placed small kisses to him. Their lips were unable to break their bond. She had to stop, but she couldn't. Their lips broke and she suddenly saw what their kiss had made. A portal. A portal to home. Killian leaned for another kiss but she stopped him.

"I need to go" She said and Killian nodded.

"We will have plenty of time. Be certain." Emma said before heading to the portal crying. But behind her Killian spoke;

"Will you have time?" Emma turned to give him one last glance.

"My whole life" She broke to tears before entering the portal.


End file.
